Forbes names Decorah one of “prettiest towns” in U.S.

“It is a really nice treat to have heard that news,” says Brenda Luzum, director of the Winneshiek County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “…I’ll tell you what, when you hear that Forbes has their eye on the community, it’s a pretty nice feather in your cap.”

Forbes surveyed editors from four travel publications and came up with a list of 15 of the country’s “most picturesque towns.” The magazine noted Decorah has been “a home for Norwegian-American immigrants since the 1850s” and mentioned Decorah’s annual Nordic Fest, the town’s Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and the historic Hotel Winneshiek.

“We have so many people that contact our office saying that, you know, they’ve fallen in love with the area over the years as visitors and now with the technology so many people can work from their homes,” Luzum says.

“What we’re hearing is, ‘Why not live in a beautiful town when I can work from my home office?’ so I think not only is this a wonderful asset for tourism, but I have a feeling there are some entrepreneurs out there that are kind of raising their eyebrows at this.”

Some of the other towns on the Forbes’ list are Breckenridge, Colorado; Camden, Maine and Athens, Georgia.